Democratic Rep. Edward Markey holds a narrowing lead over his Republican rival, former private-equity executive Gabriel Gomez, in the Massachusetts special election race, according to a new Suffolk University Political Research Center poll released Monday.

Among 500 likely voters, about 44% plan to vote for Mr. Markey in the June 25 special election, compared with 36% for Mr. Gomez, the survey found. That’s less support than Mr. Markey had in a Suffolk University poll in May, when 52% of likely voters said they planned to vote for him, while 35% leaned toward voting for Mr. Gomez.

Many voters in the Democratic-leaning state have yet to make up their minds. When asked in the most recent survey whom they would vote for if they were currently in the voting booth, 51% said they were still undecided, 18% said they would vote for Mr. Markey and 23% said they would choose Mr. Gomez.

Mr. Markey, the longest serving House member from New England, had long been considered the front-runner in the race to fill the seat vacated by John Kerry, now secretary of state. But Republicans have been hopeful that Mr. Gomez could tap the Bay State’s large pool of independent voters who previously helped elect GOP candidates like former Sen. Scott Brown.

The recent controversies over the Obama administration’s surveillance practices may be helping Mr. Gomez win over some of the state’s undecided voters, said the center’s director, David Paleologos. Mr. Obama’s approval rating has dropped to 60% in June, down from 67% in May.
“Ed Markey continues to lead but the margin has dwindled,” Mr. Paleologos, the center’s director, said in a statement. “Recent Obama administration scandals, especially the Associated Press phone records scrutiny, have touched a nerve with likely voters who are holding back or no longer supporting Markey and President Obama with the same intensity.”

The survey, conducted June 6-9, has an error margin of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

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